Temporary Internal Migration and Household Diets: Evidence from Nigeria (with Alejandra Giraldo, Elodie Maître d’Hôtel and Maria Somaraki)

In West Africa, households often rely on temporary internal migration as a livelihood strategy. Yet, evidence on its effects on food consumption patterns in origin households, especially around return, remains limited. Using the Nigeria General Household Survey-Panel (LSMS-ISA), we estimate the effects of short-term mobility within Nigeria on household diet, distinguishing households whose migrant is still away from those whose migrant has returned. To address non-random selection into migration, we use inverse probability weighted regression adjustment. We find improvements in dietary diversity and in the variety of foods consumed when migrants return, driven mainly by the extensive margin: households consume a broader set of food groups more frequently. Return migration also increases consumption of sweets and processed foods. By contrast, we find little evidence of effects when the migrant is still away. These patterns are consistent with a short-run liquidity and income effect at return, but also with changes in food preferences and practices acquired during migration and transmitted to the household of origin. Overall, this study links temporary internal migration to changing food practices and the nutrition transition in sub-Saharan Africa, suggesting that internal mobility may contribute to these shifts.